2019 Chicago mayoral race heats up

With his unexpected and fairly last minute announcement that he would not seek re-election, Rahm Emanuel touched off a contentious mad-dash for candidates to get on the ballot for February’s election. No less than 15 candidates have thrown their hat in the ring, and major celebrities have even gotten involved.

Most recently, Susana Mendoza, fresh off winning re-election as IL Comptroller, announced her intention to run. Cook County board president and Democratic Party Chairwoman, Toni Preckwinkle is also going to be running, as well as former US Commerce Secretary Bill Daley – the brother and son to two former Chicago mayors.

However, the newcomer, 35-year-old Amara Enyia that has been grabbing all the headlines, after two high profile hip-hop artists publicly endorsed her and even offered financial assistance. A fine for not properly filing campaign finance documents was paid by Kanye West, and Chance the Rapper has been advocating for her. Kanye subsequently added another $126k to the campaign, making a round $200k total contribution.

With polarizing players in the race such as controversial former Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, who was fired by Emanuel over his handling of the Laquan McDonald police shooting case, the race to the polls is likely to be a wild ride.